Kit Prendergast, PCC
Kit brings you a wealth of expertise and experience as well as a wonderful spirit, energy, and a gift for inspiring you to create the life you truly want for yourself.Kit's Tips & Books
Kits Tag Cloud
Brain Science business Career change coaching communication cross-cultural Emotional Intelligence energy engagement entrepreneurship Global Volunteerism happiness inspiration Leadership learning management millenials motivation Multigenerational Networking optimism Positive Psychology Relationships resiliency social media strengths success Talent Development teams training transition VisioningKit's Favorite Resources
-
Blog Archive
- October 2016
- September 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
Author Archives: Kit Prendergast
Talk Like Ted
Talk Like Ted: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds, by Carmine Gallo, St. Martin’s Press, New York, N.Y., 2014.
I’m an experienced public speaker, but when I was asked recently to give a “TED-like talk,” I was understandably a bit intimated. As luck would have it, I had picked up Gallo’s newest book in the Dallas airport just days before.
Gallo has written an excellent “how to” book on designing and delivering a powerful, engaging but succinct message in just 18 minutes. Gallo’s guidelines are based on his extensive research of the most popular TED presenters as well as studies of recent developments in neuroscience and communications. So with Gallo as my guide, I’m already working up my presentation to give at the Career Center at the Association of Talent Development (ATD) ICE annual conference to be held in Orlando, Florida in May. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Posted in Kit's Resources & Book Reviews
Tagged communication, motivation, Networking
Leave a comment
Figuring Out the Health of Your Organization
How healthy is your organization? … That’s a good question. Your company may be business “smart” in how it handles its finances, marketing, technology etc. but is it equally focused on maximizing the strengths, expertise and emotional intelligence of its employees?
And how can you tell that? Intuitively, people know if their organization is genuinely healthy in ways that really matter most to them. It’s actually pretty simple. Here are my favorite 5 ways to assess your own company’s health (or team). Many additional ways are described by Patrick Lencioni in his book, The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business; he gives us a wealth of insights into this fascinating idea of organization health.
5 Things Easy to Observe:
- Relatively low employee turnover. People want to work for you!
- Employees genuinely speak well of you and the company out of your hearing.
- There is a positive energy in the air – very little drama or unproductive complaining.
- People show up and are engaged beyond their basic job descriptions.
- Leaders are involved and available at every level.
What rating would you give your own company? Your own team? Challenge yourself to improve!
The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps
The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business, Patrick Lencioni, Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco, CA, 2012.
This is a great book filled with powerful insights into the power of investing in your people. A coaching colleague recommended it as a “must read” and he was right. I haven’t finished it completely because there is so much there and it is that good!
Lencioni has a great style – it’s an easy read. And he backs up the common sense of investing in organization health with solid research and business examples. I found myself also thinking about various teams or work groups that I serve on – these concepts are equally valuable for smaller groups. In the rush of everyday work, are we missing out on a wealth of untapped resources in our people? Lencioni convinces me that there is a lot more out there than what we are paying attention to. Pick up the book and tell me what you think!
In All Honesty: Can Your Team Trust You?
The concept of “trust” within our workplace teams means much more than just expecting someone else on the team to get something done on time.
Healthy trust among colleagues takes time to achieve. It grows from the ups & downs of shared experiences, the willingness to connect in meaningful ways, honest on-going communication and positive, engaged collaboration that brings desired results. And the foundation is a sincere appreciation of each other, our unique differences and the acknowledgment that we each bring great value to the team effort.
So where do you stand with your team? Start with an honest self-assessment using these questions. Next, move on to soliciting input from your team. How would they answer these questions? Now you are ready to make some behavioral changes starting with simply letting others know you more.
- Do people know you well at work?
- Do your team members feel “safe” with you?
- Can they be themselves, showing their vulnerabilities as well as their strengths?
- Do they gravitate to you at work or networking events, sharing what’s important to them both professionally and personally?
- Bottom line . . . do they “know, like and respect” you?
Give yourself time to build this relationship. It’s very subtle but very powerful. The difference between a mediocre performing team and a high performing team is all about trust.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable, Patrick Lencioni, Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco, CA, 2002.
Once again, this unique book has been mentioned in one of my advanced executive coaching classes. So I recently bought it and have found myself saying out loud every couple of pages “This is so true!” Lencioni is right on target!
Lencioni has created a simple but powerful fable (that we all can identify with) about the chaos and ripple effect of broken teams in today’s work world. Genuine healthy teamwork is rare in our professional or even in our personal lives despite everyone’s best intentions. Lencioni tells us what to do about it and why we need to do it. And. if you like this book, watch for my April e-newsletter for a review of Lencioni’s newest book, The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business, 2012.